Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1887-04-08
Az EASTER OFFERING.

Az EAS7'ER OFF,ERING.
Mrs Malonys boarding house stood at
the end Of the one struggling street of Sill
yer Plume. little, low, wooden struct-
ure, it made hut a sorry appearance by the
side Of the Palace restaurant, or the Silver
Plume house. And yet Mrs. Mallory always
had plenty Of buarders, though her steaks
were noted for their toughness, and her
bread was yellow and hard.
When Tim Mallory was found crushed in
his mine, II score or so Of the miners made
a tacit agreement to support his widow. A
disappointed committee waited upon Mrs
Mallory, and informed her that the boys
wished to board with her.
Yer see explained the spokesman
Eyer grub hez allus been painted up As
great, an the boys hez gut tired of this here
fillygree Twin down in the Palace. What
they want is some good, solid, home grub ="
This polite falsehOOd was delivered with
the utmost gravity, and made "a great i'm
preston upon Mrs. Mallory. The female
heart is always susceptible to fattery, and
Mrs. Mallory was no more than human
The miners built an addition to the house,
and moved in at once.
The envious proprietor of the Palace res
taurant view ed these proceedings with no
favorable eye Why men should leave his
dining room, with its glass windows, its oil
| cloth table covers, and attractive waters,
to sit in little rough board shanty and
eat from tin plates was "a problem too deep
for his feeble mind to solve.
He grew immensely sarcastic in speaking
of the renegades the "widder's mites, -
but his sarcasm received check when "A
delegation Of mites forcibly informed
I Al r 4
would secure him u broken head The wild
ow's supporters included in their ranks
some of the hardest fighters in the camp,
and the worthy proprietor was glad to
change his tactics to the less dangerous
method of treating the mites and i'm
proving the appearance Of his quarters.
But even this had no effect ON Mrs Ma
Longs boarders They still ate her leathery
steaks and consunptiye pies, and drank her
muddy coffee with grave faces, and then
| strolled down ~ the bar-rooms to extol the
excellence of her table.
But there was something stronger than
| the steaks-if that were possible-or even
the memory of Tim, that held Mrs Mallory
! boarders together In the little sitting
room leading from the dining shed, sat Miss
| Molly Mallory, where the men could see her
as they sat at supper. No one could say
that it was Molly's beauty that attracted
them. The poor girl was a helpless cripple,
and had been 50 for years.
Her face was plain and thin, and her hair
had been cut off because Mrs Mallory
could not find time to care for it, A little
thin shadow of girl she sat in her rough
chair, unable to move, pining away day by
day, yet always patient, and with a smile
for every one. Her eyes were her only
|
sion in them, that melted the hearts of Mrs
Malony's boarders The Catholics instinct
lively crossed themselves when those sad
eyes fell upon them, while Jim Brady, the
toughest man in Silver Plume, declared that
he would thrash the man who ever dared t.
wear "A hat in her presence.
1t was a great privilege TO be allowed t.
pass into the sitting for a moment
and speak a few words to Miss Molly Not
a man but came from the room better foI
the visit Mrs Mallory, who ruled hel
boarders with rod of iron, would look at
the little girl with tears in her eyes, as she
noticed how every day she grew weaker
aud weaker She could not live in thai
rough place, and yet Mrs. Mallory had IL,
money with which to take her away.
The room in which Molly sat was rough
and bare. The log walls had never beer
plastered, or even papered. In one corner
hung the picture of some old saint Will,
coarse wood engravings, cut from old news
papers, were pasted about the walls.
small strip of old rag carpet covered til,
floor around Mollys chair; but the creates
attempt at refinement was the collection %
flowers which stood ON a rough woOdel
shelf under the window. There were ONLY
few simple plants growing in old tin can
and backing bottles, few violets an,
other mountain flowers, gathered by til,
miners out on the range, and, proudly
growing in an old oyster can, a geraniu
in full bloom This last had been brough
all the way from Denver by the stag
driver, who carried it in his pocket, keep
ing it from the cold, simply to present it t
Miss Molly.
The little girl tended the flowers careful
ly-it was all she could do. They SCENE,
like good friends to her, and she could no
help feeling sometimes that as she grew
weaker and weaker, her strength was pass
ing away into the flowers. She loved then
all, and yet the geranium seemed the dear
est. 1t seemed TO carry her thoughts ava
from the rough camp, along the shining
trail winding over the mountains out O
sight, into that far.away land she coul
never see again. As it grew stronger am
/ AlIblBtIs ~ taught hci W lotBcb ueT oWl
pain and trouble, and To wait with patienc
for the end
1t was Saturday evening in April an
Mrs Malonys boarders came crowding int
the shed, rafting their tin plates in mos
suggestive way,
There was great excitement in Silve
Plume. John Devon, who had often cate
at Mrs Malony's table, had killed man i
the street, and was now hiding somewheT
in the mountains The sheriff was out wit
a large party hunting him down the trail.
Public sentiment at Mrs Malony's wa
decidedly i'm favor of John. To be sure
was a murderer, but then he was one
the fraternity, aud good fellow, too.
The arrival of their supper put an end I
the discussion of his merits, and for som
time nothing was heard but the rattle
knives and forks. At last there was lul
? Tom Brown, the English boarder, was I'll
first to break the silence.
, did We know Mrs. Mallory, that t,
morrow is H'Easter -
Sure, | did not that, answered Mr.
Mallory.
well, it is mum, and it's | as think "
- should have some eggs an some pOsies
I keep the day by"
There's no eggs to be had on the mount
aims, We know, an as for posies-go ON wi
you for foolish man." and Mrs. Malor
5 put another dish of potatoes ON the table
But Toms remark had aroused the cur
osity of the rest What was Easter Win
was it for
Tom proceeded to explain. Perhaps Ii
mind went back 10 the days in old knglan'
$ years before Perhaps the memory of h
I boyhood-as he told the simple story-sof
j, ened for the moment his rough, hard life.
= The miners listened attentively III
! new holiday should of course be celebrates
As TO the nature of the day, or why it WI
+ holiday, they cared nothing. The on
!, method of celebrating with which they wei
acquainted, consisted in trying to drink a
u the liquor to he found in camp. They d
u termined, as loyal citizens, 10 endeayor
" sustain the reputation Of Silver Plume.
a When the rest of the boarders went on
s Jack Brady stopped for moment 10 spea
;, with Molly He stood by her little old cha
aud looked down ON her with rough pity.
T. The little girl looked up at him with Ia
old smile, and asked
e "What are they talking about, Jack q
8 "iBout some kind of new play day
said Jack ''rhey call it Easter, thoul
- what it's for l don't rightly know. Son
. such day us Christmas, or Fourth of Jul
70 only std of gettn' drunk they goes 'roul
] with flowers AN sings. j low / couldI